Dear Friends,
Happy New Year!
Have you made any resolutions for the new year? This is the time to do it. However, I am not sure if most of us ever do any more than simply preparing a resolution or two. How many of us actually follow through on the resolution? I know the gyms I have belonged to over the years have always counted on the folks who make a New Year’s resolution to exercise more, then go out and join a club and come only for the first few weeks.
Those of you who have been in a Cabrini Community have been looking at different aspects of a “Rule of Life” similar to what members in a religious community assume as part of their vocation. For the past nine months, you have had an opportunity with others in your group to talk about what might or might not work in your life to grow more like Jesus in small steps. These “rules” have been similar to New Year’s resolutions but they are smaller little adjustments to the daily disciplines we all have.
Some believe the tradition of New Year’s resolutions goes back as far as the second century BC. Janus, a mythical king of Rome, stood at the head of the calendar with his two faces looking back on past events and forward to the future. King Janus eventually became the ancient symbol for resolutions. Some Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies, exchanged gifts, and made commitments to better themselves before the New Year began.
January 1st became the first day of the New Year in 46 BC, when Julius Caesar developed a calendar that more accurately reflected the seasons. The Romans named the first month of the year after Janus, who was believed to be the god of beginnings and the guardian of doorways. He was always depicted with those two faces, allowing him to look backward and forward at the same time. At midnight on December 31st, the Romans imagined Janus looking back at the old year and forward to the new.
I listened to a fellow recently who was encouraging husbands to make resolutions that were specific and precise. He said wives hate it when you go off topic and start talking about sports or cars or some technical challenge at work. He did not have any advice for wives when it came to resolutions. He seemed a bit hesitant to even tiptoe into the topic. But I thought afterwards, that the whole idea of making a New Year’s resolution was about reaffirming our priorities and figuring out a better way to make them happen. Hopefully, those of you who are married see your marriage as a priority in your life and not something that just happens as our work life moves along.
Let me make a very precise recommendation for the new year for those of you who are married. That is to take part in the Marriage Course that Cabrini offers via Zoom which has been created by the producers of Alpha. As Alpha states, “the Marriage Course is a series of seven sessions, designed to help couples invest in their relationship and build a strong marriage.” The parish has offered it before and those who have taken part have found it to be very helpful. Since it is done via Zoom, you do not have to leave the warmth of your home on a winter night. Simply make a delightful meal, sit down together and have a lovely evening thinking and talking about your love. You can make the evening as romantic as you want. Who knows what might happen after the Zoom session?
The sessions will take place on Thursdays from 6:00 to 8:00 pm beginning January 12th. To register, contact Deacon Doug at dalenz@archomaha.org or Ann Lenz at amlenz@archomaha.org.
Peace,
Fr. Damian